Angel: Season Six
by Angel-Angelus
Summary: The Senior Partners have taken off the gloves. Angel and the remaining members of his team stand in the ally where they were all to meet, watching the hordes of demons roll on. Angel steps forward, with Gunn, Spike, and Illyria behind him. Begin Season 6…
1. Episode 1: What Are The Odds Part 1

Rating: R (Just to be on the safe side, but shouldn't be more than the actual show)

Disclaimer: I don't own Angel, any other characters, or anything relating to the show. Joss and Fox own these, along with Mutant Enemy. I am just burrowing these characters, who were created by a brilliant man, to further our lives with fun things about them. Neither myself, or the website which this story is posted on is receiving any compensation for this story.

Spoilers: Up too the end of the series, the last line in "Not Fade Away."

Feedback: Heck Yes!

Pairing: None

Author's Notes: I finished watching Season 5 and I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be great to continue this?" "Heck yes!" I shouted back at myself. So, here I am, the first chapter in Angel: Season 6. This is hopefully going to be the first in many chapters, and adventures. This first chapter is pretty much the prelude, and when the second chapter is complete, they will essentially become the "first episode." I am only separating the two chapters to get some feedback on where I should go, and what should happen. After reading this, please take the time to review, and answer some questions on the bottom, and add your feedback. Thanks!

Summary: The Senior Partners have taken off the gloves. Angel and the remaining members of his team stand in the ally where they were all to meet, watching the hordes of demons roll on. Angel steps forward, with Gunn, Spike, and Illyria behind him. Begin Season 6…

**Angel Season 6 – Episode One: What Are The Odds (Part 1 of 2)**

"Lets go to work."

Lightning flashed in the sky, and thunder roared. The rain pounded into the ground. Angel hit the nearest demon on the forehead with the hilt of his sword, shattering it's skull. Angel then quickly spun around, bringing his sword out wide, and opening up three more demons' stomachs. He then ducked a swing, and drove his sword through the demons skull.

Spike hit the two demons nearest him square in the face, knocking them to the ground, unconscious. He blocked a few strikes from a handful of demons, then jumped in the air, doing a spinning kick, both legs out, and connected each boot to a demon's face. Coming down, he ducked a swing, grabbing the arm to use the momentum to throw the demon into another. Spike looked up and saw Angel decapitate the latest demon, and they worked their way towards each other. There were now at least twenty demons between the two of them.

Gunn, who was now bleeding profusely, stood up straight, and decided to make his mark. Two vampires quickly ran at him, seeing him bleeding and obviously weak. They were not more wrong. As the vampires each threw punches at Gunn, he ducked under them, running forward, while bringing out stakes, and stakes the two vampires in the heart, dusting them. Gunn then ran headlong into the fray. He let out a shout, and jumped at the nearest demon. His foot hit it right in the center of the chest, knocking it to the ground. Six more quickly pressed in and surrounded him. "Oops," thought Gunn.

Illyria walked defiantly forward, to the center of where all the demons came. She was absolutely pissed. After watching Wesley die, and avenging him by crushing Vail's skull, Illyria still had a burning rage inside of her. Ten demons saw Illyria striding towards them, so they turned, and advanced towards Illyria. Illyria turned her head, as to look confused. The demons smiled and they surrounded Illyria, and attacked her. In the blink of an eye, Illyria blocked all the punches, and ripped apart all ten demons. She then looked over at Gunn, who was surrounded by demons.

"Charles!" Illyria yelled at Gunn, who looked over. Illyria then ran to Gunn, and leapt into the middle of all the demons. She used all her skill, and beat back all the demons that surrounded her and Gunn. Angel and Spike, who had finally managed to meet up, looked over at the other two, and the four of them worked their way together. When they finally reunited, the demons had fallen back to regroup.

"Why don't they just keep on coming?" asked Spike, who was pulling a sword out of his right shoulder.

"They don't want to get squished" replied Angel, motioning to the other end of the alley. At the other end, a giant was working it's way towards the group.

"That's not fair." Gunn said, and he looked at Angel. "Why don't we get a giant? I want a giant."

"The giant won't pose a problem." Illyria told the other three. They all looked at her, a confused look plastered on their face. She looked at them as if they were the dimmest things ever, and said, "It may be strong, but it is slow." To prove her point, she ran at the giant. As she ran at it, she zigzagged back and forth, in a random pattern so she couldn't be picked off easily. When she got with reach of the giant, she went right, then quickly went left to avoid a hit. But what she didn't expect was the giant to move fast enough to still hit her. As the giants foot connected with Illyria, she went flying back into Angel, Spike, and Gunn.

"It may be a bit harder than I previously thought." Illyria told them as she struggled to stand up.

"Oh, thanks, 'cause we were still wondering." Spike replied to her. Illyria only glared at Spike, who smiled.

"Come guys," Angel told them, "We've got a giant to kill." The four remaining team members stood up and prepared to attack the giant who had amazing strength, and was really fast. The four of them charged at the giant. Illyria and Spike were in the lead, and each were kicked away by the feet. Gunn was then picked up by one of the hands. The giant began to squeeze, and Gunn began to gasp for air. However, Angel ran up one of the legs of the giant, grabbed onto it's belt, and threw himself up, sword tip leading, and he impaled himself right under the chin of the giant. The giant let out a bloodcurdling scream, and dropped Gunn. It began to flail in pain, and Angel was also flung away.

"Kill it!" he yelled at Spike and Illyria. The two of them ran at the flailing giant, and hit it as hard as they could, wherever they could. A few moments later the giant came crashing to the ground, and Spike, with Angel's sword, stabbed the giant in the neck. The giant had one last twitch as it died.

"Now, that wasn't too hard, was it?" Illyria asked.

"No, not at all." Spike answered, "We only got kicked into a wall, no biggie." Again Illyria glared at Spike for his comment, and Spike stared back.

"Umm, Angel…" Gunn asked.

"Yah?"

"Do we plan on living through this, because the army of thirty-thousand is back?" Angel looked, and saw that what Gunn had said was true. Wolfram and Hart's army was coming back into play.

"Well, guys, we did our best. We obviously did all that we could. The Senior partners obviously… HEY!" Angel started, but than stopped and looked around. "They didn't get any smaller. Damn it!"

"But, in all fairness, mate, neither did we." Spike pointed out.

"We don't have thirty-thousand troops!"

"Just don't seem fair, eh?" Angel glared at Spike, who said, "Why does everyone keep doing that! Glare at the big army, they're the bad guys, not me." By now the army was almost close enough to attack them, so they all turned, and got ready.

"Well, time for round two. Let's kick ass!" Angel said to Illyria, Gunn, and Spike. They ran forward, and as Angel raised his sword to strike, everything went white.

DON'T STOP Please Read On 

Please take some time to answer these questions and give me some input (all in your review). Thanks!

Should I bring back any of the following characters (pick the ones you want): Cordelia, Doyle, Wesley, Fred, Darla, Lilah, Lindsey, Lorne, Connor, Faith, Buffy, Willow, Giles

Should Angel and Co. go on and destroy the Senior Partners?

Would you like some helping the helpless, or do you just want fighting the Senior Partners (if you want it at all)?

Is there any villains you would like to see make an appearance?

Should any one character be changed, if so, who, and how?

Thank-you for taking the time to read my story, and for giving me feedback. I will check back in a few days, and will update within the month. ENJOY!


	2. Episode 2: What Are The Odds Part 2

**Angel: Season Six, By Angel-Angelus**

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own Angel, any other characters, or anything relating to the show. Joss and Fox own these, along with Mutant Enemy. I am just burrowing these characters, which were created by a brilliant man, to further our lives with fun things about them. Neither myself, or the website which this story is posted on is receiving any compensation for this story.

Spoilers: Up too the end of the series, the last line in "Not Fade Away."

Feedback: Heck Yes!

Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who reviewed this. I have taken your reviews into account, and am going forward from there. I'm sorry this took so long to update, but I have been busy. This is a fairly dull chapter, but I wrote it as best I can. I hope to have chapter 3 up soon, which will be much more exciting. For any of you who read my first post of chapter 2, sorry for it sucking so much, Lol. I hope you all enjoy this chapter just as much as the first, and please: READ AND REVIEW! BTW – Spike doesn't actually spit on Illyria. ENJOY!

Summary: Angel, Spike, Gunn, and Illyria have been battling Wolfram and Hart's army. So far, they are all still alive. After defeating a giant, the army comes on again. As the fight is about to continue, everything goes white…

**Angel Season 6 – Episode Two: What Are The Odds (Part 2 of 2)**

As everyone's vision came back, they realized they were no longer in the alley. They were in a room, if it could be called that, for it had no visible walls, and it was bright white. All around them was white. The only tangible thing there was them, and the surface they were standing on.

"What the hell just happened?" Spike asked. "Where is the alley, and what the hell is this place?"

"Looks like the White Room, minus the supports," Gunn replied.

"I am confused, how did we get here?" Illyria asked.

"First, we have to figure out where "here" is." Angel told her.

"We are in a higher plane." A voice said. Angel, Gunn, Spike, and Illyria looked around for the source of the voice. It sounded familiar to them, but they couldn't place who it was.

"And how do you know this?" Angel asked the voice.

"Because I just got here not too long ago," the voice answered.

"It's Wesley!" Illyria said, finally recognizing the voice. The others gasped, and Wesley slowly materialized.

"But… your… dead…" Angel said, stunned, "which would mean that we are also dead."

"I thought that at first, but I don't think that is the case." Wesley replied to Angel. "When I arrived here, I didn't remember dying, and I'm guessing you don't either."

"But Vail stabbed you," Illyria said, obviously not accepting that Wesley wasn't dead, "I lied for you, and then avenged your death."

"You did, and you didn't." Wesley replied. "Somehow, you saw me stabbed, and watched me die, but all I remember is Vail calling a knife to his hand, and getting ready to stab me. Then, I was here."

"Do you know where here is?" Angel asked Wesley.

"I don't know," came the reply, "but if I was to guess, I'd say we are in some sort of holding plane."

"Hey guys, maybe we finally got the Senior Partner's attention?" Gunn suggested.

"Not likely, I bet they want us dead." Wesley told him.

"Maybe the bloody Powers That Be realized we could use a hand down there?" Spike spoke up. The others looked at him and considered the idea. What if the Powers had finally decided to level the playing field, and help in the good fight?

"I was wondering how long it would take one of you to come to that conclusion," another familiar voice said. It came from behind Angel, who spun around the instant he heard the voice, and what he saw made him feel happiness, and sorrow.

"Oh my God, it's…" Gunn started

"Cordelia," Angel finished for him.

"Yes, it is me." Cordelia answered.

"You mean, you aren't dead, you're like us?" Angel asked with a hopeful voice.

"Yes and no," Cordelia answered him. "I'm not dead, but I'm not really like you guys either."

"Then what are you?" Gunn asked.

"I am a Higher Power." Everyone gasped at Cordelia's statement.

"You're a Higher Being… again?" Wesley asked.

"Not again, for real this time." She answered Wesley. "You see, when Jasmine descended to Earth, I was put out of commission. The Higher Powers, who were short one power, decided to bring me up. I have no idea why they chose me, but they did. Anyways, ever since then, I have been doing all the good that I can. About two months ago, when I saw that Angel was straying from his path, and that he needed help to get back on it, I came down and put him back on it." As she finished explaining to everyone what had happened, they donned shocked expressions. They had no idea that Cordelia had become a Higher Being, and that she had set them on this path.

After thinking on this, Wesley grew sceptical of Cordelia's power, and asked, "If you had the power to set Angel on his path, why didn't you help Fred?" A look of hurt crossed Cordelia's face, and she looked Wesley in the eye.

"I did everything I could for Fred. I needed both the body and the soul to save her, but since her body was infected with Illyria, I took her soul. Normally, it would have been destroyed, but I took it, and put it where the souls of champions go, for she is one." The four people there seemed confused, so Cordelia continued, "Let me explain to you how the afterlife works. When you die, your soul goes to the plane of judgement, and you take whatever form you wish. There, you spend about three months Earth time, while you undergo many tests to see where you will rest in the afterlife. It is during these three months that a simple spell can call your soul back to your body, and you are resurrected. After the three months, the only way for your soul to come back is extremely powerful magic. Also, after the three months, your soul goes to whatever area that was chosen for you during the tests. When I saved Fred's soul, I sent her straight to the Champions Hall, where she will "live" her afterlife in perfect happiness. That is the best I could do for her. I'm sorry I couldn't do more Wesley, I really am, but I couldn't."

Wesley and the others were completely stunned by Cordelia's explanation. The afterlife was so much more complex then what they had first thought. "Cordy, I'm sorry. I just let my emotions get the best of me," Wesley apologized to Cordelia.

"Don't be sorry Wesley, you lost your one true love. You had every right to want her back." Cordelia replied to Wesley, and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Why is it I can't remember anything from when I was there?" Angel asked.

"Well, when you go back to your normal plane, you don't remember anything of your afterlife, for the powers wish you not to," Cordelia answered.

"So, what's the deal? Why'd you bring all of us here?" Spike asked Cordelia.

"Let me show you." Cordelia answered him. With that she waved her hand, and in front of them they say a random dark alley, with an innocent young girl walking down it. Then, from the shadows, two vampires jumped out, and fed on her. The scene changed. Now it was a guy and a girl, both were walking towards their car in the parking lot. When they got to their car, three vampires attacked them, feeding on them, and mutilating their bodies. This happened many more times, showing people and good demons, all being killed by evil ones.

Finally Spike said, "Turn it off, I can't take this." The image then faded, and the all white was back.

"Why did you show us this?" Gunn asked. He was obviously somewhat sickened by what they had just witnessed.

"That is the evil versus the good. The evil almost always wins." Cordelia answered. "Now, the Powers That Be, with a little nudging from me, have decided to help us, although its more you. Anyways, it all started when you left to kill your members of the Circle of the Black Thorn. Angel had already killed Archduke Sebasis, the Senior Partners checked up on their other members. They noticed they too were being killed, so they assembled an army. Myself, who was watching these events unfold, informed the other powers what the Senior Partners were doing. When they saw that five of their greatest champions were going to die, they took action. Seeing that Wesley was about to die, they quickly transported him here, and left a shell with his thoughts and memories in his stead. The same happened with the rest of you when you got here."

"Cordy, I'm glad the Powers finally decided to help us, I really am, but why would they bring us here, where we can't help anyone, or fight the good fight?" Gunn asked.

"This is only a temporary plane. It was created for your short stay here," Cordelia answered Gunn.

"So you are sending us back down to Earth," Wesley stated more than asked.

"Yes, but first, you need your mission."

"But don't we have one already?" Angel asked.

"What is your mission, Angel?" Cordelia questioned him.

"To help the helpless," Angel replied.

"Wrong," Cordelia told him. "For the past year, your mission has been to figure out what the Senior Partner's plan was for you, not helping the helpless. And starting a few months ago, your mission was to cripple the Senior Partner's and bring down the Circle of the Black Thorn. Well, you succeeded in those missions. You crippled the Senior Partners, but not for very long. Soon they will have their apocalypse on track, and we want you there to stop it.

"Also, we want you to do what you have almost always done, help the helpless. Concentrate on the apocalypse, but don't spend all your time on it. There are still people to help."

"How do we go about stopping this apocalypse?" Angel asked.

"I don't quite know, but when it comes, you will know what to do, be it fighting hordes of demons, or simply signing a piece of paper." Cordelia answered him.

"I hope we get to fight the demon army again," Illyria said, a look of thought on her face as she pictured herself tearing apart the bodies. "I would feel joy if we did."

"Speak for yourself!" Spike spat at Illyria. "I don't want to get pummelled again. If you do, fine by me."

"Calm down you two, we don't know what's going to happen yet," Angel told Spike and Illyria, who turned away from each other and sulked. "Cordy, if we could barely take out the Circle of the Black Thorn, how could we stop the Senior Partners completely?"

"Your Angel, you'll find a way." Cordelia answered him with a smile. Angel's face showed that he wasn't so sure.

"Umm, Cordelia, won't the Senior Partners just kill us when we get back to Earth?" Gunn asked, "Cause we did take out the representatives."

"No Gunn, they won't," she answered him. "They think they killed all of you. When you all get back to Earth, you will start off from scratch. How you do it, is up to you. I will give you one tip though: reassembling the team may be the first step towards beating the Senior Partners."

The five remaining members of Angel's team pondered this for a moment, and Wesley said, "What happens now?"

"You go back." Cordelia stated. "You go back, and you complete your mission."

"Wait!" Spike quickly spoke up, "When we stop the apocalypse, does this mean that the Shanshu thingy is gonna come true. Oh, and who does it mean in the prophecy?" Cordelia looked at Angel, who just started at the floor.

"Yes, I think it will fulfill the Shanshu Prophecy, Spike," Cordelia informed Spike.

"And you are the one in the prophecy," Angel told Spike.

"What! How do you know that?" Spike asked.

"Because I signed away saying that I can't fulfill it." The other members all looked at Angel in complete surprise.

"You signed away the reason you were fighting for?" Wesley asked Angel. "Ever since we found the Shanshu prophecy, you have been trying to fulfill that, to earn your redemption. Why did you give it all up?"

"To destroy the Circle of the Black Thorn. To finally get even, Angel answered in a grim tone.

"You also thought you were going to die," Spike declared. "You didn't see any point left."

"I did think I was going to die, but there was still a point. The point was do what you can with the time allotted to you, and with me, that could go on to be forever." Angel explained to the team. "Besides, why do I deserve to be human more than Spike, I've killed way more than him. You could even say I killed all those that he killed, because I made the one that made him." Everyone was absolutely stunned by Angel's explanation. He had signed away his claim to the Shanshu prophecy, and now he seemed to not even want to take it back. It was almost as if he enjoyed being a vampire, and wanted to stay one.

"What Angel did was make a great sacrifice. He did it so that others can live. He may have signed away his future, but now he can continue the fight, as should you all." Cordelia told the team. "Now, I am going to send you back. I hope you are ready for this. Remember, you are all presumed dead. Good luck, I will be watching over you…" As Cordelia finished, everything again turned white as they left to head back to their dimension.

What appeared to be a man, covered in dark, black robes, entered the CEO's office on the four-hundredth and ninety-second floor. The office was pretty much empty except for the desk, a few chairs, and a few "trophies" mounted on the wall. The office had a prefect view of the dark swirling abyss outside. Behind the desk, was a chair with it's back to the door. The creature sitting in the chair was indiscernible.

"What is your report, Shaen-Dothar?" the creature in the chair asked the man entering the room.

"It is reported that Angel, and the rest of his team are dead, all killed by the army." Shaen-Dothar answered the creature in the chair.

"What about The Apocalypse?"

"I am heading back to the dimension to start it back up."

"Good. I want it back on track, and on time, within the week."

"Yes, sir," Shaen-Dothar answered the creature in the chair. Shaen-Dothar bowed, and turned round, preparing to leave.

"Wait," the creature in the chair said, "bring me The Betrayer, I wish to speak to him."

"Yes sir," Shaen-Dothar said to the creature, and exited the room. The creature in the chair continued to look out the window, and is it did, a smile spread across its face.

"Well Angel, it seems you stopped us for a few moments, but now that you're dead, there is no one left to stop our plans. The Wolf and the Ram will be happy to hear this."


	3. Episode 3, Part 1: Starting Over

**Angel: Season Six, By Angel-Angelus**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Angel universe. Any original people that may have fallen into this universe, well, they might be mine, can't remember though. Oh, and by the way, I don't own the universe. Joss and his "peeps" (if they can be called that) own everything.

Feedback: Please Please Please Please Read And Review!

Author's Notes: This is only the first part of this chapter/episode. I was writing it and was like "OMG! This is really long." So I decided to split it up, so I could post it earlier, and so it wasn't such a big chapter. Now, I hope that this chapter is good. I put a lot of work into it, and hope you all like it. There may be a few parts that don't make sense, but they will either at the end of this section, or by the end of the actual chapter/episode. Again, please read and review. ENJOY!

Summary: Angel and his team have received their mission. Now, they must choose how to start it. As they settle into somewhere familiar, they learn that there is a new person in town, one who slays vampires in a very unique way…

**Angel Season 6 – Episode Three: Starting Over**

Sherry was walking quicker than she usually would. She didn't plan on staying out so late. It was almost one in the morning now, and she had to walk the dark, dangerous streets of L.A.

Los Angeles. The place she had come to become an actress. It was quite obvious how well that had turned out. Now she was working a dead end job, and baby-sitting for her only friend. Tonight, her friend had stayed out three hours later than said, and now she had to walk home in the darkness of Los Angeles.

Sherry was coming up on an alley and she realized that it could be a shortcut. It should be, because it cut straight to the street on the other side, and that would save her walking up a few more blocks to get around. Deciding to try this alley out, Sherry turned down it. It was a lot darker than the rest of the street, but Sherry was in a hurry. She started to walk a bit quicker. Something inside Sherry told her that this wasn't a safe place to be. Her heart started to pound in her chest as she got the feeling someone was watching her. Suddenly, every shadow scared her, and she thought that someone was going to jump out of them at her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that her fears had been realized.

Behind her, two figures were advancing down the alley. Now Sherry was truly afraid. She broke into a run, hoping to make it to the end of the alley. As she got just passed halfway, Sherry saw there was a fence just ahead. Sherry got to the fence, and decided that she was going to try and climb it. As she started, Sherry looked behind her, and saw the figures, were within a few feet, then… they stopped. Sherry thought she was going to make it, when she felt a hand grasp around her ankle, and pull her to the ground with superhuman strength.

"Now where do you think you're going?" a male voice asked her. Sherry looked up and saw a man looking at her, but there was something wrong with his face. He had an overly large brow, and ridges. Also, he had sharp pointed teeth. Thinking that it was some strange cult that had caught her, Sherry's mind began to wander at the horrors that might be done to her.

"Please," Sherry pleaded, "Let me go. I just want to go home. Please."

"Let me think about that," the man said, "Umm… no. We've been following you for a little while now, and we haven't fed yet." Sherry gulped. She had no idea these men meant by "fed," but she had a feeling that she wouldn't be alive when they finished with her.

"But I didn't do anything!" Sherry pleaded to the man.

"Exactly," came the reply, "So you won't be missed." Sherry sat up, and pushed herself back to the wall, where she wrapped her arms around her legs in fear. By now the other men had joined them.

"What are we waiting for?" one of the men that arrived asked.

"I want you two to watch me kill her." The first man told the other two. The two men got looks of sadness on their faces.

"But… but I thought we were all going to share." The second one asked.

"Shut-up," the leader said. With that, he turned towards Sherry, and started to advance towards her. Then, suddenly, there was a flash of bright light, and five people stood around Sherry.

"Whoa!" came the cries from the three men. "Where the hell did you just come from?"

The five people were Angel, Spike, Gunn, Wesley, and Illyria. They quickly recognized the three men as vampires.

Spike, deciding to have a little fun, said, "What are you talking about? We've been here the whole time, you just showed up." The three vampires glared at Spike with utter contempt.

"You five just made the biggest mistake of your lives," the lead vampire told them. The other two assembled behind him. They obviously thought this was just a group of weak, petty people.

"Some of us are already dead," Angel told the vampire as he and Spike adopted their vampire face. "Now we are going to send you beyond that." The looks of the three other vampires went from looks of enjoyment, to looks of pure fear in a split second. Then they were all against the wall, as Angel, Spike, and Illyria hit them with all their force.

"I am tired of talk," Illyria said, "I will now do some violence." With that, she leapt at the lead vampire. He recovered the quickest of the three and blocked Illyria's first two strikes. He didn't anticipate her third, as he blocked the initial punch, and took an elbow to the face, breaking his cheekbone. The vampire fell to the ground, clutching his hurt face. The other two, seeing how strong Illyria was, decided to run. As they fled to the street, they were tackled by Wesley and Gunn, who had just realized that his wounds had been healed.

"Leaving so soon?" Gunn asked as he hit the vampire in the face repeatedly, "Because the party's just getting started. Wesley, instead of pummelling his vampire, hit it once, and looked around for a makeshift stake. He saw that there was a piece of wood that would work, so he leaned over, grabbed the stake, and thrust it straight into the vampire's heart, dusting it. Wesley looked over and saw Gunn was still pummelling his vampire. Giving a little whistle, Wesley tossed his stake to Gunn, who caught it and quickly staked the vampire.

During this time, Illyria had been beating the lead vampire with all her might. Spike and Angel decided that it was finally enough, and they pulled out a stake, and ran the vampire through.

Illyria looked at them and asked, "Why did you do that, I was experiencing some enjoyment."

"You were enjoying beating that vampire into a bloody pulp!" Spike asked Illyria, who only looked at him in a confused manner.

"You don't approve?" she asked him.

"No, I think it's perfectly fine, I'm just glad you couldn't do that to me."

"I could do it now if you'd like." She answered him.

"What the hell were those guys, and how the hell did you guys get here?" Sherry asked from the ground, obviously still very afraid.

"It's ok now," Angel told her offering her his hand, which she refused, standing up on her own. Angel shrugged it off, and continued, "As to what they are, you're better off not knowing. Now, you'd best leave, and stay away from this alley." Sherry didn't question Angel, and she just ran out of the alley. Wesley and Gunn walked back, and rejoined the rest of the team.

"I think we've done quite well," Gunn said, "Haven't been back five minutes, and we've already dusted three vamps."

"You mean we haven't been in L.A. EVER for five minutes," Wesley corrected him.

"Oh, right," Gunn said, "We're dead."

"I think I'm going to stop counting how many times I've died," Spike said.

"What, can't count that high?" Gunn teased Spike.

"I'll have you know I can count quite high, Mr. Lawyer Boy." Spike said.

"What is to happen to us?" Illyria asked. Everyone looked at her, for she had spoken randomly, and none of them had even thought of that.

"Well," Angel told the team, "We should first find a place to stay, then begin making a name for ourselves."

"Where are we going to stay though?" Gunn asked. The team thought for a moment, until Wesley spoke up.

"We could head back to the Hyperion, we did buy it."

"But aren't we dead?" Gunn asked.

"Not to the city of Los Angeles, only to the demon population and the Senior Partners," Angel said. "So, any objections?" When no one said anything about going to the Hyperion, Angel nodded and said, "Well, lets get started."

Aaron sat at the bar, and he downed another shot of whiskey. He had only done three, so he was still feeling fine, for he could do at least six before feeling anything. The bar he was in wasn't that great of a place. It had a bar, tables with nothing on them, and there was a small kitchen in the back, but that was all.

Aaron's watch beeped, and he saw that it was two o'clock. She'd be getting off now. The stools around Aaron were all full except for one. There were many different types of people sitting at the bar. Male, female, blonde, brunette. A lot of variety. Aaron, he was a blonde, with hair at about two inch's, and green eyes. He was of medium build, and stood just short of six feet. He wore a long trench coat, which many suspected was to hide something. There had been quite a few people who approached him, thinking that it was drugs that he carried, but it wasn't.

Aaron felt a tap on his shoulder, and he didn't even bother turning around to see who it was, or what they wanted.

"Hey, buddy," the person that tapped him said, "Get your ass out of the seat, because me girlfriend needs a place to sit." Aaron just ignored the man, until he put his hand on Aaron's shoulder in an attempt to pull him off the stool. In the blink of an eye, Aaron spun the man around, and put him in a painful arm-lock. Aaron then shoved into a table, knocking over some people's drinks. As if nothing had happened, Aaron turned around again and sat down.

The bartender looked at Aaron and said, "I think you should leave, I've got some angry customers." Aaron looked at the bartender, and didn't move.

"Get out of that seat and face me!" Aaron heard someone yell at him. Aaron spun around, and saw that the men whose drinks had been knocked over were standing up, and were very angry.

Aaron leaned against the counter, and said, "I'm sorry about the drinks, I'll be gone in a few."

"You'll be gone alright," one of the men said, "But your body will still be here." Aaron cocked an eyebrow at the man, and when a woman exited from behind the counter, and walked out the door, Aaron hoped up, and proceeded to walk out the door. The two men followed Aaron.

When Aaron got to the door, he turned around and told the men, "Don't follow me, because you will be in the most excruciating pain of your life if you do." The men saw that there was a fire in Aaron's eyes, so they backed off, and let him exit the bar. Aaron looked down the street and saw the woman was walking away from the bar.

"That's her for sure," Aaron said. He walked quickly and quietly, slowly gaining ground of the woman. The street was completely empty except for the two of them. When the woman turned down another street, also empty, Aaron caught up to her. He quickly put his arm around her waist and led her across the street.

"What the hell! Get off me!" the woman yelled at Aaron, but she couldn't break his grip.

"Stay calm, and act like we are on a date." He told her.

The woman looked at him disgusted, and said, "Get off me! Leave me alone!" She continued to try and shove Aaron off, but to no avail.

"I'll be gone soon," he told the woman, "I just need to save you quickly."

The woman looked at him and told him, "I don't need saving, you creep. There is nothing to be saved…" Suddenly four vampires jumped out, and surrounded the two of them. "Oh my god!" The woman screamed.

"Told you I was going to save you," Aaron said, his voice calm and steady.

"Look at this," one of the vampires said.

"We get two instead of one," another finished for him.

"You don't get jack," Aaron told the vampires, who laughed.

"And why do you say that, stupid man?" asked the third vampire.

"Because I say so." Came the steady reply from Aaron. The next second, Aaron let go of the woman, jumped up, and kicked on of the vampires in the head, knocking it back. As he landed, he pulled out two beautifully crafted pistols, and pointed them at the vampires.

The vampires laughed and said, "What are you gonna do, shoot us, cop boy?" one of the vampires asked. "Go ahead, try it." The vampire stepped forward, a huge smile on his face.

"Sure," Aaron said as if receiving a present, accepting the invitation. He aimed one of the pistols, and shot the vampire through the heart. The vampire exploded, effectively dusted. The other two vampires eye's opened wide in shock.

"B-but that's not supposed to kill us," one said.

"Rules change," Aaron informed him, and he quickly fired two shots into the vampires' hearts, dusting them as well. The fourth vampire finally managed to get up, rubbing his head. He looked around at the piles of dust, confused, until his gaze was drawn to Aaron. Aaron shrugged as the vampire looked at him, confused, for Aaron only had a gun, and there were no stakes lying around. Then Aaron shot him, and he was confused no more, as he exploded into dust.

Aaron put his guns away, as the woman he just rescued asked, "What were those things?"

"Vampires," Aaron responded. His vice had gotten back its calm and steady tone.

"Vampires!" the woman gasped, "Are you crazy? Vampires aren't real!"

"No, they aren't, and people just always turn into dust when you kill them." Aaron told the woman, who looked at him. Suddenly, Aaron gasped, and put his hand to his head, as what looked like a massive migraine came to him. A few moments later, he was back to normal, and he looked at the woman.

"You're safe now. I must go." With that he ran, and when he was in full stride, jumped and pulled himself up the balcony-ladder complex of an apartment building to the roof, and continued to run along the roofs.

"Where the hell is this place?" Spike asked, growing impatient from walking all over Los Angeles.

"We're almost there," Angel told him, as he turned down another street.

"Good, because the sun is going to be rising soon," Spike informed Angel. Angel looked to where the sun was slowly creeping over the horizon. It was going to be a nice day, but if they wanted to stay for it, they'd have to make it to the hotel before the sun reached them.

Turning down another street, Angel said, "There it is." Spike and Illyria stared at the hotel, not thinking it looked like much, but Angel, Wesley, and Gunn looked at it completely different. To them it was home. They had lived there for three years, and so much had happened. The Hyperion was full of memories. There were good ones, bad ones, and memories with Fred and Cordelia. This pained both Angel and Wesley a bit more than Gunn, for they were the ones who had truly lost them.

As they entered into the front courtyard, Gunn asked, "What do you think the chances are that someone else moved in?"

"I don't think they could have," Wesley said, as they approached the door. "We own the place, and we didn't sell it."

"Lets hope your right." Gunn said, as Angel opened the doors, and the five of them entered the hotel. It looked exactly as it had that day when they had left for Wolfram and Hart. Everything was left here. They took their personal possessions, and nothing else. The front desk still seemed as if they were operating a business.

"This was where you guys used to operate?" Spike asked. It was hard to tell if he was amazed, or disgusted.

"There is a strange smell to this place," Illyria said, oblivious to anything else, as she looked around for the smell.

"Just ignore it, the smell's always been there… right?" Gunn asked more than stated. He looked to Angel and Wesley for confirmation, but they both seemed off in their own worlds. They were most likely thinking about the memories of this place. Deciding to be the first one to do something, Gunn walked over to the front desk. He went around to the back, and opened up some of the drawers. Inside he found many papers that belonged mostly to Fred and Cordelia. The rest of the team followed Gunn, and came down to stand in front of the desk.

"Are you sure we should've come back here?" Gunn asked, "There is so much… pain."

"We have no other place to go," Angel told Gunn, "Besides, we've gotten through worse."

"This is where we got through worse though," Gunn retorted.

"And this is where we will continue to!" Angel snapped at Gunn. Gunn backed up a bit, and put his hands in front of him defensively.

"Chill Angel, I'm just saying what I'm thinking," Gunn told Angel.

"Sorry, Gunn," Angel apologized. "I'm going to go and check my room." Angel then turned away and started to walk up the stairs. The other four just watched him go, thinking it best to let him. Angel reached the elevator, pressed the button, and took the elevator up to the second floor.

When Angel reached the second floor, he walked into room 217. This room held the most history for him. In it he had started his stay at the Hyperion, and four years prior to this day, he had stayed in this room again. It was his room. No other room on the hotel suited him like this one. Angel walked into the bedroom, and looked at the bed. It was the same bed where he and Darla had slept together, and created Connor. Memories flooded back to Angel about Connor. He remembered when he was a baby, and how he and Cordelia had laid on a bed, much like this one, and had talked about Connor's future, and, Angel laughed, about getting a boat.

Angel then remembered when Connor came back from Quortoth, and tried to kill him. For ten minutes Angel just stood there, staring at the bed and reliving all his memories of Connor.

"Angel?" Wesley asked, as he slowly opened the door and looked inside. He saw that Angel was just staring at the bed, and he seemed to be in deep thought. Wesley walked up to Angel and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"They're all gone," Angel told Wesley, "Cordelia, Darla, Connor, Fred. All of them. They've all gone."

"But we haven't," Wesley told Angel. "We live on, so we can continue their fight, and Connor, he isn't gone, he just can't remember who you are."

"No, he can," Angel said, turning and looking at Wesley. "When you and Illyria came to Vail's home when Connor was fighting Sahjahn, you broke the Orlon Window, and regained your memory. The spell also affected Connor. He remembers everything, and he understands what I did. But," Angel sighed, "He doesn't want anything to do with me." Wesley looked at Angel, a look a hurt on his face.

"I'm so sorry Angel, I've caused you so much pain," Wesley tried to apologize, but Angel stopped him.

"Just leave it. Lets go talk to the team," Angel said to Wesley, ending the conversation as he walked out of the room. Wesley looked at the bed, and after a few moments, followed Angel back to the main floor.

"You are such a bloody git!" Spike yelled across the room. The elevator dinged and Angel and Wesley stepped out.

"I'm the git? You're the git!" Gunn yelled back at Spike, "Just give up an accept defeat!"

"Accept defeat!" Spike said to Gunn, as if it was the most horrendous thing ever, "I'm not the one who's lost!"

"Guys!" Angel yelled at Gunn and Spike. "What are you arguing about?"

"Well, it's com-" Gunn started, but Spike cut him off.

"Charlie boy here thinks, as do you, that astronauts would beat cavemen if they were to get into a fight."

"Not this again Spike, we don't have time for this," Angel scolded Spike.

"Well, sorry mate, I didn't mean to try and have a normal conversation with someone. Maybe I'll go and brood like you," Spike proposed to Angel, who just glared at Spike.

"What are these astronauts?" Illyria asked, "Are they some sort of demon?" Spike tried to keep his laughter quiet, but he couldn't.

"Yah right!" he laughed at Illyria, "They're big, white, helmet-covered demons!" Angel only shook his head, and he and Wesley descended the stairs. Wesley walked over beside Illyria, and turned to face Angel.

"Alright, team, we have to make a game plan." Angel said to everyone.

"What are these astronauts Spike speaks of?" Illyria quietly asked Wesley as Angel started to speak again.

"They are humans that travel into space. Nothing to amazing really," Wesley responded to Illyria.

"How do they reach space?"

"They take a rocket, and fly up there."

"Can this same power be applied to shifting dimensions?" Illyria asked.

"No, it uses physics, not mystics," came the reply from Wesley.

"So, what do you think we should do?" Angel asked the team. Spike and Gunn thought for a few moments, and Wesley realized that he hadn't heard anything of what Angel had said.

"I think we should do what we've almost always done," Gunn said, "Help the helpless."

"Aye," Spike said. "Although I haven't done much of that with you guys, I think we should."

"What do you think Wes?" Angel asked Wesley.

Wesley thought for a second, and then said, "I agree. Our main priority should be to help the helpless. But, we should also look for info on the Senior Partners. We'll need whatever we can get if we're going to stop their apocalypse."

"Good point," Angel said. "So, it is agreed. We help the helpless, and try to avert the Senior Partners' apocalypse." Spike, Gunn, and Wesley all answered in the affirmative. "Good." Angel walked over to the filing cabinet, opened it up, and started taking out all the files.

"What are you doing?" Gunn asked.

"We don't need these files," Angel told him, "We just take money from the people who are willing to pay, no files."

"Why not?" Spike asked.

"It'll leave a paper trail for the Senior Partners to follow," Gunn said. "We want to try and stay under their radar, so the less paper work, the better." Angel nodded, agreeing with Gunn. After Angel had emptied the cabinet, he put all the files onto the desk, and looked at his team.

"This isn't going to be easy," Angel said, "starting over. We have no connections to the demon world, and we have no one that can trust us. We need to be careful, and stick together." The team nodded to Angel, who looked out the front door. The sun had come up, and it was definitely going to be another sunny day in Los Angeles. "The day has started, let's make the best of it."

Aaron walked into his small apartment room. It was not a nice place at all. It had a bed, a nightstand, table, fridge, stove, and dresser. Only the bare necessities were there. Aaron walked over to his dresser, which was on the far wall, across from his bed, and pulled out his pistols. He laid them on the dresser, and opened the top drawer. Inside, were four full clips, and twelve full cases of bullets. The bullets weren't normal lead bullets, they were unique.

Instead of lead, the bullets were tipped with special wood. The wood was carved to a spike, perfect for staking vampires. The wood, after being carved, was dipped in a mystical liquid that would harden it, and stop the wood from catching fire when the trigger was pulled. The tips were then placed on a normal shell filled with gunpowder, and sealed.

Taking the clips out of the pistols, Aaron replaced them with the full ones in the drawer. He then walked over to his bed, and placed one of the pistols on the nightstand, easily within his reach. The other he put into the dresser. Finishing that, Aaron picked up a case of bullets, and proceeded to fill his empty clips. When he finished this, he put them in his dresser. He closed his dresser, and then walked over to the window. It was going to be a nice day today. It always seemed to be a nice day in L.A. Too bad he rarely saw it. His time was the night, when vampires and the like were afoot.

Deciding it was time to get some more sleep, Aaron walked over to his bed, and laid down to get some sleep.

He woke up a few hours later at a scream. Reaching out instinctively for his pistol, Aaron shot up and aimed at his door. It was still closed. The scream had come from outside in the hallway. Deciding to investigate the scream, Aaron opened his door and peered out into the hallway. There, he saw a man trying to drag away a woman. She was screaming for help, and when she saw Aaron, she screamed out for his help.

"Help me! Please!" She screamed at Aaron.

The man turned to face Aaron, and said, "Don't get into this, it's not your business."

"Lets make it my business then." Aaron said to the man, as he stepped out into the hall and approached him. The man shook his head, and reached into his jacket, pulling out a gun.

"I said stay out of this," the man threatened Aaron. "I will kill you if I have to." Aaron continued to advance towards the man, not slowing at all. "I'll do it!" the man warned Aaron, his finger tightening on the trigger. Aaron stopped. He was about seven feet away from the man. The woman looked at Aaron, and her eyes pleaded with him to help her.

Aaron sighed, and said, "Let her go."

The man laughed at Aaron and said, "Or what? You'll run at me so I can shoot you?" Just as he finished the sentence, Aaron leapt at the man, grabbing his arm before he could pull the trigger, and breaking his wrist.

"I could do that instead," Aaron told the man. He then grabbed the man, walked him to the stairs, and threw him down them. He then turned around, and walked right passed the woman, not even acknowledging her presence. She was about to say something to him, but he slammed his door before anything could be said.


	4. Episode 3, Part 2: Starting Over

**Angel: Season 6, By Angel-Angelus**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Angel universe. Any original people that may have fallen into this universe, well, they might be mine, can't remember though. Oh, and by the way, I don't own the universe. Joss and his "peeps" (if they can be called that) own everything.

Feedback: Please

Author's Notes: Hey everyone. I must be the WORST author EVER! I haven't updated in about a year I think. But, anyways, this is almost the entirety of the third episode/chapter. I'm having troubles writing the end of it, but it'll come. Hopefully I'll be updating often now, and we can progress the Sixth Season of Angel. As always, I would greatly appreciate any feedback or criticism, as long as it doesn't offend me and if it does: BONUS! Now, onwards and upwards! ENJOY!

P.S.: For those of you that don't know, Joss Whedon has announced that he has plans for carrying out Angel: Season 6 in comic book form, much like Buffy: Season 8. Be happy and rejoice, but still read my fic!

Summary: Angel and crew have just arrived back in L.A. They have moved back into the Hyperion, as it was the place where they got through the most. Aaron, a man that hasn't yet met up with any of Angel's crew, is a man that has a unique way of slaying vampires, and protecting the helpless. Little does everyone know, that all their paths shall cross, and one shall become helpless again…

**Angel Season 6 - Episode 3 (Second Half/Third): Starting Over**

Aaron awoke to the sounds of screaming. He looked at his alarm. It was 7 o'clock in the evening. The sun had just set a few minutes ago. He grabbed his pistol from under his pillow, and checked it. It still had a full clip. He walked over to his dresser, and pulled out his other pistol. Strapping both on, Aaron pulled out a belt of stakes, and put that on. He completed everything with his long, block trench coat. Looking out the window, he saw that it was already getting dark outside.

Another scream pierced through the night air, followed by a cry for help. Remembering his mission, Aaron opened his window fully, and hopped out. Running towards the source of the scream, Aaron saw a young couple backed into a corner by two vampires. Aaron walked towards the vampires, kicking a piece of scrap metal against the wall. The loud clang aroused the vampires' attention, and their gazes shot over to Aaron.

"What the hell do you want?" one of the vampires demanded of Aaron.

"Same thing as you," He answered firmly. The vampires looked at Aaron, somewhat amazed.

"You're a vampire too?" The other vampire asked.

"No," Aaron told him as he quickly pulled out his pistols, and shot the vampires in the hearts, dusting them. "I want a fresh kill."

Not even acknowledging the young couple he had just saved, Aaron turned around and started walking down the street. When he got to an intersection, he stopped suddenly, and scrunched up his face in pain. His hand went to his head, as an excruciating pain shot through him.

"Damnit…" he mumbled to himself, as the pain slowly subsided. He looked down both sides of the street he had just come upon. "The Herbal Salon… shouldn't be too far from here." Aaron started to walk briskly down the street, not taking notice of anyone he managed to pass on his way. He had his mission, and now he was to fulfill it.

**88888**

Angel stood looking out over Los Angeles, his city. For five years now, he had been fighting to make a better place, and looking out at it now, he could tell it had not changed since he first arrived. Although it looked safe and peaceful, Angel could tell that it wasn't. All the people he had saved, all the evil he had vanquished, none of it mattered. There were still just as many, if not more, demons in the city, killing people at will. Angel shook his head. Actually, his work hadn't been in vain. His work had done one thing for all the people in Los Angeles, even if they didn't realize it. It had given them hope. Hope, that someday this city would be safe and free from demons, or evil of any kind.

As he stood there, Angel knew that things wouldn't get better, couldn't get better. The Senior Partners wouldn't let it. They had too much planed for this city, with the apocalypse and all, and for this dimension. There was no way they'd let anything change. So far, Angel and his team had kept the apocalypse from coming, for now at least. Something was happening. He could feel the wheels begin turning again. It wouldn't be too long and the apocalypse would come. No matter what, though, Angel would stand and fight it. No matter what. As he stood there, totally consumed by his thoughts, the door opened, and Wesley came in.

"Everyone is doing something," Wesley told Angel, "be it cleaning or anything else."

"Is everyone still here?" Angel asked Wesley.

"Yes," came the reply.

"That means no one is out there helping the people that need it," Angel said to Wesley as he turned to face him. Wesley stared at Angel, unsure of what he was getting at. "That means people are out there suffering, and no one is coming to help them."

"Angel," Wesley said, sympathetically, "You can't be sure of that."

"Can't I?" Angel snapped back. "It's been almost a year since I've gone out and helped the helpless. How can there not be people out there who need help, since no one has been helping them?"

"What do you want us to do than?" Wesley questioned Angel.

"Help them," came the solid reply. Before Wesley could utter a protest, Angel ran to the edge of his balcony, and leapt to the street below. He landed gracefully on the street below, and took off into the city. Letting out a heavy sigh, Wesley turned around and walked back downstairs to join the others.

88888

Angel walked through the city, keeping his guard up, and his ears open for the slightest scream. He knew that there was someone who needed him, there always was. As he passed a dark, narrow alley, Angel peered into it, looking for any movement. He saw only darkness. Moving on, Angel continued scoping out every nook and cranny, anywhere that a demon could hide. He had this recurring feeling that evil was nearby, and someone was going to be in danger. It was then that he heard the scream.

Whipping around, Angel searched for the source of the scream. Seeing nothing, he realized that it came from the alley he just inspected. Taking off at a full run, Angel ran for the alley, hoping to get to it before anything could happen. He had to save the person, because no one else would.

88888

Running from rooftop to rooftop, Aaron stopped dead in his tracks as a scream pierced the air. An image of the screaming girl crossed his face, and Aaron ran all the faster. He wouldn't fail this mission. Arriving at the source of the scream, Aaron peered down into the dark alley and saw a young girl cornered by a vampire. Jumping down into the alley, and pulled out one of his pistols. As the vampire reached for the girl, Aaron fired a single fatal shot.

88888

As Angel approached the alley, he heard the gunshot. His eyes going wide in horror, Angel realized that not only was he too late, but it wasn't even a demon attacking the girl. Finally rounding the corner, Angel saw a man pointing a gun at her. However, he didn't notice that she was not falling to the ground, or bleeding.

"No!" Angel yelled as he leapt for the man, and donning his vampire face. The man easily grabbed Angel's jacket from the leap, and threw Angel to the ground. As he hit the ground, Angel heard another shot go off. Immediately rolling, Angel managed to only get hit in the left shoulder, instead of the heart.

Angel and the man both looked at the girl, and simultaneously yelled, "Run!" Angel's and the man's gazes locked as the young girl ran screaming from the alley. Angel leapt up and kicked the man's gun from his hand. The man threw a punch at Angel, who blocked it. Angel realized the punch was only a ruse as the man pulled out a second pistol.

He pointed the weapon at Angel, who said, "Go ahead, that won't hurt me," and backed up a step.

"Let's see then," the man answered Angel as he squeezed the trigger. Thinking this man knew something that Angel didn't, he decided he didn't want to take the bullet. As the bullet left the barrel, Angel got his right shoulder in front of the bullet. This second bullet, doubled with the pain from the first bullet, caused him to fall to the ground. The man walked up to Angel, and pointed the gun at him.

"Time to die, vampire."

88888

"Why the hell do we have to do this?" Spike angrily asked, "This is what maids are for!"

"Well, unfortunately, we don't have a maid," Wesley calmly replied.

"Than we should get one!" Spike yelled, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"That would cost money, and that's something we don't have," Gunn spoke up.

"Well, why don't you use your lawyer skills to get us some, huh Charlie?" Spike countered.

"Spike, just do the work," Wesley told him.

"And why?" Spike yelled at Wesley. Walking away from his job, Spike walked to the front door, and looked out to the street. "Why does Angel get to go out there and help people? I should be out there with him." Also stopping what he was doing, Gunn stood up and looked at Spike.

"We all want to be out there, Spike, but someone has to do this."

"But not our fearless leader?" Spike asked Gunn sarcastically. "He gets to go out and save people, fighting the good fight, while we're here cleaning for it!"

"Angel's been through a lot more than all of us," Wesley told Spike.

"In my time, talk like that would be thought of as a sign of betrayal, and is punishable by death," Illyria informed Spike.

"Yah, well good thing we're not in your time than," Spike snapped at Illyria, who seemed to take offense.

"Spike," Wesley said calmly, to draw his attention away from Illyria so they wouldn't start a fight, "Angel's lost more than all of us, and he's also fought longer than us, only to have any hope of reward stripped from him. He now has nothing to strive for."

"Neither do I!" Spike countered. "I've killed almost as much as Angel, and I've tried harder to redeem myself. Hell! I sacrificed myself to save the bleeding world! I've lost the girl I loved! Has Angel been through that?"

"Well…" Wesley began, but was cut off by Spike.

"No! He spent most of his time mopping around, never sacrificed himself, and never gave up the one he loved!"

"Hey!" Gunn yelled at Spike. "Angel's worked damn hard to help people in this city!"

"I'm sure he has," Spike replied. "He helped people by joining Wolfram and Hart, the spitting image on evil, and he killed Drogan. Yah, mighty hero-like if you ask me!"

"Don't presume to know Angel," Wesley told Spike. "He lost the love of his life, not once, but twice. He tried to kill the one he loved because it was the only way to save the world. Also, there have been many times Angel has tried to sacrifice himself for the greater good, but he's always come out on top, much like yourself. And, you do have something to aim for Spike. You have the Shanshu Prophecy. Angel signed it away so he could hurt the Senior Partners, leaving you as the only vampire with a soul that can fulfill the prophecy." These words caused Spike to stop and think about everything he had said.

After a few moments of thought, Spike said, "I never thought of it that way… I guess your right…" Wesley walked up to Spike and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"We're all somewhat aggravated from everything that's happened lately, but if anyone deserves a break, if you can call it that, it's Angel."

Looking out the front door, Gunn asked, "Since we're on the topic of Angel, I wonder how he's doing."

88888

Looking up at the man, Angel knew he was in trouble. Not wanting to die lying down, Angel tried to stand up, but found he couldn't support his own weight, and he fell back to the ground. He looked up at the man that was obviously going to be his death. Just as the trigger was being squeezed, the man facing Angel suddenly convulsed. He brought his arm up to his forehead, and held it there, and his face gave the impression his mind was being ripped apart from inside his head. Unable to do anything but stare, Angel watched as the man continued to convulse. Finally, the man seemed to calm down, and looked back at Angel. He slowly brought his hand down from his forehead, and didn't bother to raise his gun that had lowered when he started convulsing. Angel stared into the man's eyes, and was amazed at the look he saw staring back at him. The man turned away from Angel, and went to retrieve his pistol. Angel did nothing to stop him as he saw the man ran out of the alley. When he reached the end of the alley, the man didn't even stop to give Angel a second glance as he ran down the street.

Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Angel closed his eyes and laid his head on the cold, hard pavement. The man had easily beaten Angel, who had been overconfident. He had Angel at his mercy, but then the man got a look in his eyes. It was a look that Angel was sure he would never forget, for he had seen it many times before.

88888

Running along the rooftops, Aaron was confused. He had no idea what was going on. He was sent a message to save a girl from a vampire, and he had done that, than another one had shown up. Why was he stopped from killing this one? What was so special about this vampire? All vampires were evil, why did They want him to save this one? Slowing to a walk as he reached the edge of the roof, Aaron looked out over the city of Los Angeles. After everything he had done for this world, he still hadn't done enough. Why was this happening to him? Aaron shook his head. He couldn't figure it out, hell, he couldn't figure anything out.

"What do you want from me!" he yelled out to the city. "What do you want me to do? What haven't I done already?" No answer came to Aaron, and he expected none. He was never given answers, only questions. Slowly Aaron's gaze led to the starry sky. Tonight was one of the rare nights that the stars could actually be seen in Los Angeles, the City of Angels. At this thought, Aaron let out a small laugh. "City of Angels, yah right," he mumbled to himself, "more like the city of demons, and other types of evil." As he thought of this, his facial expression changed, from a crude smile, to a grimace. He thought of all the killing, the mutilating, the horrors. He then thought about all those he had saved. It was here that Aaron found his hold. Saving people. That's why he did this. That's why he continued to do this. To save the people. But that didn't explain to him why he couldn't kill that last vampire he met. Deciding that he should probably get some rest before the next night, Aaron jumped off the roof, and headed towards his apartment.

88888

Angel stumbled into the Hyperion. Wesley was the first to look up at him, and he said, "My god, Angel. What happened to you?"

"Met a guy, he shot me. It hurt." Came the wavering reply.

"Guns shouldn't hurt us, mate," Spike informed Angel. "Could it be that you're getting soft on us?"

"Shut up Spike," Angel snarled at Spike, who let out a small chuckle.

"Angel, man, come sit down," Gunn told Angel, who stumbled his way over to a chair.

"Do you know who shot you?" Wesley asked Angel.

"No, but he was strong and fast."

"And the bullets, they hurt more than normal ones?"

"Yes," Angel replied with a grimace, "And I think the guy that shot me knows that if shot through my heart, they would've killed me." Everyone gathered in the room looked confused, as bullets couldn't kill a vampire, and Angel continued, "I don't know how, I just got a feeling."

"Well, lets take a look at these bullets then," Wesley suggested, and no one objected.

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Aaron entered into his room from the window, for he didn't wish to draw the attention from the people in the lobby. Looking at his clock, Aaron saw that the time was about 8:30 am. He performed his morning ritual of reloading his guns, and putting one of his nightstand. When all was set, he flopped down on his bed. He began to think about his latest vision wondering why he must save a vampire, and one that tried to kill him no less. He went over the fight with the vampire in his head again, and came up with nothing.

"Why do I have to save a vampire? I kill them, not save them." Aaron thought to himself, trying to put everything in perspective. Getting up and walking to his window, Aaron watched as the morning traffic started to pile up. Watching the cars slowly drive by, his train of thought drifted back to his vision. Running through the vision a few more times, he came up with a name. Angel.

Thinking about this Aaron realized that it wasn't a mistake. The Powers That Be don't send visions with a name accidentally. After contemplating for a few more minutes, Aaron decided that his best course of action was to figure out whom this Angel is, and whether or not he is worth saving. Slowly nodding, Aaron began to like the idea. It wasn't his usual type of work, but this wasn't a usual circumstance. Aaron affirmed that he was going to learn about this Angel fellow. What he has done, where he lives, who his friends are, then, and only then, would he take action. All that Aaron required now was time, and there never seemed to be enough of it lately.

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"Well these certainly are odd," Wesley said as he held up one of the bullets he pulled from Angel.

"These aren't bullets, they're stakes." Spike exclaimed, looking to Angel with a look of confusing. "Who the hell did you run into?"

"I don't know," came Angel's reply, as he stood behind Wesley, also looking at the stake-bullet.

"I believe they are made of wood, but they still seem to be fired from a gun," Wesley surmised as he studied the bullets.

"Gee, thanks Wes, 'cause I was still wondering what he shot me with," Angel said to Wesley, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm just trying to work through it," Wesley replied back.

"Well you best stop trying," Gunn told everyone, as he looked to the front door.

"Now why would we…" Wesley started as he followed Gunn's gaze to the door. When he saw what had just waked in, he lost the ability to speak. Standing in the doorway, was about twenty demons. Most were about the same height as an average human, but one stood about a full head taller than the others. All of them had grayish skin, covered in wrinkles. They also had sharp, pointy teeth, and long, hook-like claws.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" the tallest demon asked with a scratchy voice as it shouldered its way to the front of the group.

"This isn't your house," Angel told him as he stood in front of his group.

"Well, actually, it is," the demon replied. "There are more of us, and we were here first."

"But we have the proper documents that signify us as the actual owners of this hotel, so that means we can charge you with breaking and entering," Gunn told the lead demon, who grew angry at Gunn's outburst of legal language.

"Gunn," Angel hissed at Gunn.

"Sorry, occupational hazard."

"You got one big occupational hazard coming your way, boy," the demon told Gunn.

"Boy? I ain't no boy!" Gunn retorted to the demon, stepping up beside Angel.

"Prove it," the demon challenged Gunn, and he stepped forward. Gunn smiled as he began to step forward, but Angel put a hand on his arm.

"We take them all at once," he informed the team.

"At least let me take the big guy," Gunn half asked, half told Angel.

"Fine," he answered Gunn. A small smirk crossed Gunn's and the demon's face as the Angel Investigations team assembled in what would be their first major battle.

"Boys," the demon proclaimed, "let's eat!"


End file.
